The Legend of Locke
by DigitalSalute
Summary: Follow the adventures of Locke, a skilled Imperial warrior with a mysterious past. Accompany him on his journey to discover who he really is, and where he came from. Enjoy!


The Legend of Locke

Chapter 1

Confusion. That is what I felt when awoke in that wet, dirty, slimy Imperial prison. I didn't know who I was, or why I was incarcerated. I awoke to a blinding light shining through a small hole at the top of my cell. I rolled over to block the light from invading my eyes, to allow myself to fall back into my slumber, but it was for not. I pushed myself up with hands, chained together in iron binds that wrapped around my wrists a little too tightly. My snow white hair fell over my eyes and shielded my gaze from the incessantly annoying prisoner across from my cell.

His name was Valen Dreth. A Dark Elf, and one who took much pride in himself and his people. He spoke of how he would bed my wife and lay out on the beaches of Summerset Isle with her. These words might have provoked more of a reaction out of me if I even had a wife. Maybe I did, I couldn't remember. I walked to the door of my cell and place my hands on the cold iron bars. I pushed and I pulled, but the effort exerted was pointless. All the while, Dreth mocked me and accosted me.

I turned my gaze to view my cell as a whole. The only things occupying the space was my small cot, an old wooden table and chair, and a host of cobwebs. Judging by the light pouring in from the window, I assumed it was around noon. There was harsh nip in the air that the attire of sack cloth could cover. I pulled my hands up to my arms and rubbed them vigorously, trying to keep myself warm. That's when I heard the sound of a door opening, slamming shut, and then locking.

I heard loud, heavy footsteps. Expecting to see prison guards, I rushed to the iron gate to inquire why I was being detained in this hole. Instead, I saw three soldiers. All wearing valiant suits of armor covered in silver and lined with gold and precious gems. They carried long swords, katanas, on their backs and steel short swords on their waists. An intimidating sight to behold, indeed. But the one who held my gaze was an elderly man walking in between them. He was garbed in a spectacular robe of purple velvet and carried a magnificent silver short sword at his side.

"Get back from the gate prisoner!" The female soldier yelled. She yelled with such force I felt as if my body moved on its own. For a moment they seemed surprised to see me in my particular cell. For some reason, they contemplated killing me to "keep me quiet." The elderly man hushed them and beckoned them to open the gate. They did his bidding and walked towards me. The woman drew her short sword and pointed the tip at me saying, "Make one move, prisoner scum, and I swear by the Nine Divines I will cut you down where you stand!"

I didn't move a muscle. Curiously, however, it was not because I was afraid, but because I genuinely interested in their motives for entering my cell. With her sword still drawn she turned toward the stone wall that held my cot and pushed a single block further inside of the wall itself. I opened my mouth, astonished. The elder then approached me, to the chagrin of his guardsmen.

"You… I have seen you…" He said. "Let me see your face." I lifted my gaze, allowing my hair to fall from my face. "You are the one from my dreams… Then the stars were right… Then this is the day… God's give me strength!" He proclaimed. I looked at him with a puzzled look on my face. I asked him, with a scratchy voice, why he ventured into my cell, and why I was here. He told me he did not know what crimes I committed, but the reason he was in my cell was his sons had been assassinated, and he was next.

I wondered what was so special about this man, why people would want to kill him and his sons. I then heard one of the guardsmen call him emperor, and I shifted my gaze back to the elder.

"These are my Blades. They are sworn protectors of the Emperor of Tamriel, and they are escorting me to a safe haven. I fear, however, that they will not be able to succeed." He spoke with such authority and sincerity that something inside of me wanted to protect him from these assassins who were pursuing him, and direct them to the cell of the still babbling Dark Elf, Valen Dreth. His Blades as he called them, insisted that they keep moving, lest their pursuers stumble upon them conversing with a lowly prisoner.

They then began walking through the now gaping hole in the wall. The Blade in the back the woman called Baurus said, "Today's your lucky day, prisoner. If you choose to follow, stay close and don't try anything." I then followed them for quite a distance until the woman yelled for them to stop.

"I hear them approaching. Ready your blades! For the emperor!" she shouted. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, figures garbed in red cloaks and black armor ascended upon us. The very first assassin struck down the woman with such blinding speed and accuracy that if it hadn't been for the blood spraying into my face, I may not have noticed. The second blade, whom Baurus called Glenroy, struck down the assassin with nearly the equivalent of skill. The assassins in red began coming onto us from all sides and seemingly out of instinct, I dove for the dead Blades katana.

The weapon felt like a feather in my hand, like it was a natural thing. An extension of myself. Seeing my movement, two of the assassins thrusted their blades toward my heart. I parried their swords with ease and dragged my blade across the throat of the first assassin, killing him. I then, in one swift movement, spun around and thrusted the katana backward into the breast of the second would-be-killer. I withdrew my sword from its sheath of flesh and turned toward the emperor. I jumped into the air, kicked off a pillar, and intercepted a diving killer mid-flight. Again, I dragged my blade across his throat. His body fell mere feet from the emperor. His head, a little further.

I positioned myself in front of the emperor to protect him from further acts of attempted harm. The Blades never let another assassin get close. They struck down man after man, woman after woman in an attempt to quell their onslaught. Soon, bodies littered the floor beneath the Imperial dungeons. The new Blade captain, Glenroy, turned towards the emperor to assess the situation and saw myself standing in front of the emperor, next to three dead assassins. He nodded toward me, as if in gratification. Then, I saw the life instantly fade from his eyes.

An arrow flew through the air and pierced his helmet and skull. Sending his body down in a heap, killing him on impact. I looked to the arrows' origin of flight and found another cloaked assassin, armed with a bow. I dove to the ground for the dead Blade's short sword, quickly unsheathed it, and threw it through the air. The blade hit its mark, square in the chest. I had felled another assassin. I looked to Baurus for confirmation that the battle was over. He nodded to me.

As he nodded, I observed a ball of amber light fly through the air and hit him. Expecting him to be dead, I turned to the culprit just in time to be hit by a ball of light as well. I tried to move, and found that I couldn't. In this time, I looked at the emperor with terror in my eyes. He pulled the large, red amulet off his neck and threw it at me. The amulet hit my chest and fell to the ground. Before he drew his last breath, he spoke these words: "I can go no further. You alone must stand against the Prince of Destruction and his mortal servants. He must not have the Amulet of Kings. Take the amulet to Jauffre, he alone knows where to find my last son. Find him… and close shut the jaws… of Oblivion!"

For a moment, it felt as though time slowed to a crawl. I watched as the mage who froze us in place thrusted his sword through the heart of the emperor, Uriel Septim. That feeling I had when I first met the emperor faded away into guilt and feelings of failure. Those feelings soon turned to anger, and with that anger I found the strength to break free from my mystical hold. I picked up my dropped katana and rushed to the killer. I slayed him in a magnificent dance of glistening metal and spraying blood. His cohorts attempted to best me, but their attempts proved fruitless. I soon had a mass of lifeless killers surrounding me, and my emperor at my feet.

Baurus approached me, breaking free of his hold soon after me.

"By the Nine… We've failed… I have failed… The Blades no longer exist with purpose." He said, clearly defeated. I raised my voice for the first time.

"No! Hope is not lost. The emperor, in his dying breath, spoke of another son, that a man by the name of Jauffre would be able to lead me to. So that I could present the rightful heir to the throne the Amulet of Kings." His eyes widened in amazement. He then spoke of the man named Jauffre, saying that I could find him at Weynon Priory. When I asked why the task had fallen to me, he answered my question with nearly as much confusion.

"I do not know what the emperor saw in you. However, I do know that our emperor was a wise man, and that if he saw something in you, then you are truly special my friend. Judging by the way you fight, there is no doubt that you are a skilled warrior, and are more than ready for the task." It was true. I eliminated many assassins. Assassins who were able to kill two of the emperor's Blades. It was something I was unsure of. But that was of little relevance at the time.

"Now go. Find the heir to the throne and bring him to Cloud Ruler Temple just north of Bruma. It may be the only place left in Tamriel he would be safe."

I took one last look at the dead emperor.

"I will not fail you. I swear it."

 **AN: So this is my first Elder Scrolls fan fic. The only other fic I've ever worked on is my The Last of Us story, that of which I am still working on. I would very much appreciate it if you all would give me feedback on if you liked it, or if there are things you think I should do differently. This will not be an exact telling of the game. I am going to make drastic changes to the story. However, I wrote the first chapter this way because I wanted to properly set up the story. The emperor's death is a relevant event in my story so I felt I needed to include it. Thanks for the feedback!**


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